Journeys In Africa

How the minimum criteria of the responsible travel standard was met...

Economic responsibility

Every single one of our journeys is linked to a specific project ( nature/ wildlife/ people ) which we support by donating a portion of your total payment towards. On our nature journeys an endemic tree sapling is donated per person as part of the Platbos Trees for Tomorrow Project.
On our wildlife journeys the financial cost of 1 day’s freedom for a White Lion is donated per person to the White Lion Protection Trust.
We employ a selection of freelance expert local South African guides to lead our journeys and support local community guides by employing them or booking on one of their set tours when we visit special places of interest. An example is the promotion of a Malay Cooking Class Day Journey in Cape Town where we support a local resident woman entrepreneur in the Malay community and our guests enjoy meeting her family, taking a guided tour with her around her neighbourhood and then learn how to cook the local food of this region ending with lunch in her home.
Another example of a local project we include on our Kalahari Journeys and Flower Journeys is a stop at Ikhwatuu Cultural Center, where training skills in the hospitality industry are taught to the San people and their rich cultural heritage recognised. We support their craft shop, restaurant and guided botanical and cultural tours.
In Cape Town we work together with Streetwires, a project for street people to be taught beading craft skills and purchase handmade items directly as welcome gifts for our travellers.

Environmental responsibility

In our office we maintain a paper free environment as much as possible, use energy saver light bulbs, drink only spring water collected in a container weekly and practise strict recycling. We even have a wormery for any leftover food which is used to fertilise our outdoor garden and cleaning staff are encouraged to take home fresh vegetables from our vegetable garden. Our only printed material, business cards, are produced from recycled natural paper.Every single one of our journeys is linked to a specific project ( nature/ wildlife/ people ) which we support by donating a portion of your total payment towards. The inspiration for founding Journeys In Africa was through time spent at the White Lion Protection Trust, one of the main wildlife projects we support to save and protect the rare White Lions of the Greater Timbavati Kruger Park and of great cultural significance to the local Shangaan community.All the eco green safari lodges we use in our itineraries protect their surrounding environment and wildlife, with no trophy hunting allowed and a policy of non- invasive respectful viewing of wildlife. Green eco- friendly principles are advocated such as recycling, solar energy use, food produce served to guests from local community gardens, hand made locally crafted décor and building materials. In each itinerary we give details of exact environmental benefits and projects supported by each accommodation partner, allowing our travellers to enjoy a more meaningful connection to the local wildlife and understanding of environmental issues prior to their arrival.We supply each participant with a reusable water bottle on our journeys which can be filled regularly with normal tap water and filtered.We supply each participant with our recommended list of “dos and donts” of environmental friendly travel which includes warnings on which types of wildlife projects/places/reserves to avoid such as any places that promote contact with or activities in close contact with wild animals or reserves where animals are hunted as trophies or bred for these purposes.

Social responsibility

Every single one of our journeys is linked to a specific project ( nature/ wildlife/ people ) which we support by donating a portion of your total payment towards. Each journey includes visits to a local project and/or stops at destinations where local guides can be supported and travellers educated on the region/community visited. Where appropriate we send out lists with items of necessity which can be purchased in advance and packed in suitcases to hand over whilst on a journey ( giving in person is a meaningful way to connect with local people and projects and fosters continued support ). We only use eco green friendly accommodation in our itineraries where local communities are respected and uplifted by the various projects each establishment supports. Details of exact benefits and community projects supported by each of our accommodation partners are supplied to our travellers in their travel itineraries in advance of their departure creating a deeper understanding and support of the local communities and culture of each region visited.We advocate the support of local art and crafters, market places and restaurants and our local guides are well informed and always on the look out for new local highlights to include on our guided journeys.Each participant on our journeys receives a welcome beaded hand crafted item from Streetwires Project in Cape Town with an explanation on the project and opportunity to visit should they be in Cape Town at any stage of their itinerary.